Impressions Of America: History Podcast

Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn start their new mini-series of shows on the George W. Bush presidency by looking at the 2000 election and his battle with Al Gore to become president.

Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn are joined by Dominic Tunney to discuss the history of comic books, comic book movies, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and how modern cinema has changed over the past two decades.

Simon, Tobi, and Vaughn are joined by author and film critic Adam Nayman to look at the cinema of the late 1990s and in particular films such as Fight Club and The Matrix that portray the common theme of white men in comfortable office jobs rejecting their reality in search of a greater purpose.

Simon, Tobi and Vaughn are joined by historian Ellen Schrecker to discuss her latest book The Lost Promise: American Universities in the 1960s.

Simon, Tobi and Vaughn each pick 2 films that meant a lot to them as a teenager, and then we hand out our first end of year Impressions Awards. We also briefly mention our new upcoming Star Wars podcast, and at the end of the show we celebrate Christmas and have Vaughn read from A Christmas Carol. You can follow our new Star Wars podcast on Twitter @JoyOfStarWars. The first episode will be available in January.

Simon, Tobi and Vaughn discuss the history of professional wrestling in America. We chat about our own personal interest in wrestling when we were growing up, and then look at the history of the business, and in particular the growth of the WWE. We also discuss the links between politics and wrestling, and Vaughn explains the specific importance of wrestling to her when she was young.

Simon, Tobi and Vaughn discuss various political stories, including the one-year anniversary of Rudy Giuliani’s press conference at Four Reasons Total Landscaping, Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill, QANON and JFK Jr, and Big Bird owning the Republicans. Vaughn also breaks down Critical Race Theory and explains what it is and how Republicans are using it to win culture wars with Democrats.

Simon and Tobi delve into the topic of Richard Nixon on Film and discuss 3 films that depict President Nixon at various points in his life, as well as looking at the larger media representation of Richard Nixon.

Simon, Tobi and Vaughn head to Los Angeles for the final episode of the American on Film series (at least for now - more coming next year!). We start the episode with a brief modern history of the city from Vaughn, before we then dive into the 9 films we have selected that are set in the City of Angels. Also, one of the films selected in this episode features Tobi's favourite 2 minutes in film history.

Simon, Tobi and Vaughn discuss Vaughn’s visit to America and then dive into various news stories – including Biden and Afghanistan, the California Recall Election, and Trump eyeing the 2024 election. Also, Vaughn gets to talk about Star Wars.

Simon, Tobi and Vaughn continue the America on Film series by looking at Chicago on Film. They discuss six films set in the Windy City, and Vaughn gives an overview of the modern history of the city at the start of the show. Also, our intro music has a Chicago themed remix thanks to Tobi.

Simon, Tobi and Vaughn are joined by author and historian Patrick Lacroix to discuss his book John F. Kennedy and the Politics of Faith. We look at Kennedy’s background, the role religion played in the 1960 election, his time in office, and the legacy of electing America’s first Catholic president. Also, Tobi declares his love for Joe Biden and Simon defends Richard Nixon’s honour.

Simon, Tobi and Vaughn are joined by journalist and author Sebastian Mallaby to discuss billionaire investor and philanthropist George Soros - from his early years in Hungary during WWII, through his career in the financial world, to his involvement in philanthropy and political donations which have made him a boogieman for Republicans.

Simon, Tobi and Vaughn continue their America on Film series with Vaughn’s hometown of Philadelphia. Vaughn kicks off the show with a brief history of the city and then we go through six films that are set in Philadelphia. And yes, Rocky is one of them. Also, stay to the end for Vaughn's recommendations for Philly cheesesteaks.

Simon, Tobi and Vaughn are joined by Pulitzer Prize winning scholar and critic Louis Menand to discuss his latest book The Free World: Art and Thought in the Cold War. To help us we are also joined by returning guest Alex Sayf Cummings.

Simon, Tobi and Vaughn wish you all a happy July 4th, talk about Joe Biden’s first (roughly) 6 months in charge, and then discuss patriotic films. Also, Vaughn drinks and Simon loses track of Vaughn’s swearing.

Tobi is joined by Professor Victor Pickard to talk about the origins and unraveling of the Fairness Doctrine. They also discuss the origins of the FCC, the limits of media regulation in the mid 20th century and how the Fairness Doctrine was eventually removed.

Simon, Tobi and Vaughn are joined by friend of the show Jeff Lucia to look at Boston on Film, with a focus on six films that depict the city. This is the second episode of our America on Film series - our previous episode was on New York on Film.

Simon, Tobi and Vaughn start a new series of episodes looking at some key American cities on film. And we’re starting with New York! We each picked 3 films to talk about that capture the energy of New York, as well as discussing the city and the topic in broader terms. The intro to this episode features music and film clips from New York movies, including use of a montage from Movieclips Trailers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0_rHbGCpLU&list=LL&index=2&t=53s

Simon, Tobi and Vaughn look at the life and career of legendary news anchor Walter Cronkite, from his early years as a journalist covering the Second World War, through his time on television in the 1950s and onto becoming the news anchor for CBS in the 1960s where he reported on some of the biggest stories of the 20th century, including the assassination of President Kennedy, the Vietnam War, and the Moon landing. Also, can Vaughn connect Walter Cronkite to It’s a Wonderful Life? Find out at the end of this episode.